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Washington Post Faults Catholic Church Teaching for Filipino Poverty
NewsBusters.org ^ | 4/21/2008 | Matthew Balan

Posted on 04/21/2008 11:49:39 AM PDT by Pyro7480

The day after Pope Benedict XVI departed the U.S..., Blaine Harden of the Washington Post lamented the Catholic Church’s influence in the Philippines, specifically, the government of Philippines "acceding to Catholic doctrine" by "supporting only what it calls ‘natural’ family planning," rejecting "modern contraception" as part of family planning." Throughout his article, titled "Birthrates Help Keep Filipinos in Poverty," Harden painted a bleak picture of "the fastest-growing segment of the Philippine population," which is "very poor people with large families," and sought to blame their poverty and backwardness on their following Catholic teaching, brushing aside corruption and other factors that contribute to poverty. A photo accompanying the article in the print-edition of the Post showed a poor Filipino mother in her shack with her four children, two of whom are naked.

Harden described the Church’s influence throughout the article, hinting that it had created a climate of fear in the country "An organization that is helping Espinoza [a poor Filipino woman who plans to get a contraceptive intrauterine device] agreed to introduce this reporter to her on condition that it not be named. The group’s health workers said they fear retaliation and harassment from officials in the national and city government, as well as from the Catholic Church." He immediately mentioned after this that in 2005, the "Catholic bishops in the southern Philippines announced that they would refuse Communion to government health workers who distributed birth control devices."

The article seemed to be prompted, at least partially, by the fact that the "[d]istribution of donated contraceptives... ends this year, as does a contraception-commodities program paid for by the U.S. Agency for International Development." ...This means the U.S. taxpayers, millions of whom who are opposed to contraceptives, are paying for these contraceptive programs in the Philippines...

(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholic; familyplanning; philippines; populationcontrol; poverty; washingtonpost
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To: Jaded

I have no opinion about whether the Catholic church is in fact partially responsible for this (it seems that poor people worldwide, Catholic or not, have a proclivity to have more kids than they can afford). I just think that the behavior itself is contributing to their poverty.


21 posted on 04/21/2008 12:32:50 PM PDT by Arguendo
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To: netmilsmom

Daddy on the couch? Women are throwing their husbands out of the marital bed?


22 posted on 04/21/2008 12:33:26 PM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: Petronski

I oppose abortion, but don’t have a strong opinion on the pill.

I have no problem at all with other forms of birth control like like condoms that prevent conception in the first place.


23 posted on 04/21/2008 12:34:25 PM PDT by Arguendo
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To: Arguendo
I oppose abortion...

Good.

...but don’t have a strong opinion on the pill.

Well you should, since it acts as an abortifacient in some cases.

24 posted on 04/21/2008 12:35:44 PM PDT by Petronski (Vivat Benedict XVI!)
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To: Straight Vermonter
>>Women are throwing their husbands out of the marital bed<<

No, men are going themselves.
It's called sacrifice and many Catholic men do it. Whether it is at certain times of the month or for a period of time.

God Love every one of them!

25 posted on 04/21/2008 12:36:21 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am very mad at Disney. Give me my James Marsden song!!!!!)
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To: Arguendo

A convenient, non-biblical, darwinistic, and belated departure from thousands of years of biblical understanding (including 1900 years of UNIVERSAL Christian understanding) that originated at the Lambeth conference is certainly nothing a self-respecting Chrisitan would ever flaunt as proof of Protestant truth.


26 posted on 04/21/2008 12:37:40 PM PDT by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: Arguendo

A convenient, non-biblical, darwinistic, and belated departure from thousands of years of biblical understanding

(including 1900 years of UNIVERSAL Christian understanding that intercourse was a sacred act, the prupose of which was not to be frustrated)

that originated at the Lambeth conference is certainly nothing a self-respecting Chrisitan would ever flaunt as proof of Protestant truth.


27 posted on 04/21/2008 12:39:16 PM PDT by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: netmilsmom

The relativist world pines for the “Catholic Lambeth moment”, after which the walls of moral truth will crumble and disappear.

Fortunately, the Church will be preserved from that moment.


28 posted on 04/21/2008 12:41:15 PM PDT by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: Petronski

Just another finger in ears “lalalala, I can’t hear you” moment for a poster.

It only an abortion when it’s convenient.


29 posted on 04/21/2008 12:44:28 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am very mad at Disney. Give me my James Marsden song!!!!!)
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To: Notwithstanding
I still don't have a problem with it.

And that doesn't change the fact that poor Filipinos' decisions to have many children do contribute to their continued poverty.

30 posted on 04/21/2008 12:45:01 PM PDT by Arguendo
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To: Arguendo

After all, why should I not have what I want when I want it with no natural consequences?

I mean, what’s wrong with me and my wife unilaterally deciding to thwart God’s will and deny Him his right to join His creative power to our marital love-making? Who in the hell does he think he is?


31 posted on 04/21/2008 12:45:13 PM PDT by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: Arguendo

Poverty? I think you mean their continued lack of all the nice gizmos you think are necessary in life (flat screen tv, cars, cable tv, 200 varities of salad dressing at the grocery store, pampers, air conditioning, etc.)


32 posted on 04/21/2008 12:48:15 PM PDT by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: Arguendo

I mean, what’s wrong with me and my wife unilaterally deciding to thwart God’s will and deny Him his right to join His creative power to our marital love-making?

Who in the hell does He think He is?


33 posted on 04/21/2008 12:49:17 PM PDT by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: Notwithstanding

No, actually I know people who lived there. The poor are dirt poor, like no shoes, poop in a ditch poor.

But there are also very rich people there. So the question is not how many children but how corrupt the government?


34 posted on 04/21/2008 12:51:04 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am very mad at Disney. Give me my James Marsden song!!!!!)
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To: Petronski

The hormone dosage in the typically prescribed oral contraceptive (e.g., OrthoTriCyclene)) is not sufficient to prevent implantation or induce abortion via menses.


35 posted on 04/21/2008 12:51:52 PM PDT by riverdawg
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To: netmilsmom

LOL, those must be randy dogs. I’ve never had to go to the couch during NFP “danger days”.


36 posted on 04/21/2008 1:01:35 PM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: Straight Vermonter

I guess they know their own limitations!

We have a family on their sixth. The parents are still in their twenties. I get the feeling that he will be taking up a place on the couch!


37 posted on 04/21/2008 1:08:21 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am very mad at Disney. Give me my James Marsden song!!!!!)
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To: riverdawg

Hmmm, that isn’t what it says here...
http://krohse.com/birthcontrol/options/TRICYCLEN.html


38 posted on 04/21/2008 1:11:50 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am very mad at Disney. Give me my James Marsden song!!!!!)
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To: Petronski

Oh you’ve lost your mind..........I’m a Catholic and the one area that the Church has failed to stress is birth-control. They COULD help the very, very poor latin/american cultures in this regard. Vast amounts of poor starving children are the sad by-product of their teachings. ...And while we’re at it...they could allow priests to marry and lose the dresses.....It IS 2008!


39 posted on 04/21/2008 1:13:48 PM PDT by HappyinAZ
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To: Notwithstanding

No...he/she means children eating at garbage pits because the Church continues to encourage large families in areas where they live on $1.oo a week. Get a clue.


40 posted on 04/21/2008 1:15:58 PM PDT by HappyinAZ
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